What to expect from new team of S.Ossetia president?
Who is on the team of South Ossetia’s new president?
The new president of South Ossetia, Alan Gagloev, continues to form his team. Here are some of the main personas that have already been appointed.
Secretary of the Security Council and his alleged ties with Georgia
Some bewilderment and criticism has been caused by the recent decision of the new President Alan Gagloev to appoint Anatoly Pliyev to the post of Secretary of the Security Council.
Pliev, 69, already headed this structure during the presidency of Leonid Tibilov from 2012 to 2017. Then he found himself at the center of a major scandal after he participated in a confidential meeting with the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II.
In South Ossetia, Ilia II is considered “the ideologist of Georgian fascism” who “blessed Georgians to kill Ossetians.”
Gocha Dzasokhashvili, a well-known Georgian businessman, an Ossetian by nationality, also participated in that behind-the-scenes meeting with Ilia II. It also causes controversy both in South Ossetia and North.
Dzasokhashvili headed the “Assembly of the Peoples of Georgia in Russia” for a long time. In 2014, it was liquidated by the Russian Ministry of Justice, but it continues to exist in Georgia.
Despite the great indignation in society in connection with those “secret negotiations between Anatoly Pliev and Gocha Dzasokhashvili with Ilia II”, no explanations were given by the authorities at that time.
In connection with the sudden appearance of Pliev in the team of Alan Gagloev, that story is being discussed again in the republic. There are no comments from the new government yet.
Other key appointments in Gagloev’s team arouse restrained optimism in society.
Potential prime minister – a monopolist in the construction market
Konstantin Dzhussoev, the general director of the main developer in the republic, the Megapolis-T company, has been proposed for the post of prime minister. Consideration of the candidacy in parliament is expected before June 20, and few doubt that the parliament will vote in favor.
Since 2011, 54-year-old Konstantin Dzhussoev’s company has been constructing all the largest objects in South Ossetia.
Megapolis-T is successfully mastering the funds of the Russian-South Ossetian investment program. In South Ossetia, Dzhussoev’s company, among other things, built:
- Severny neighbourhood
- government building,
- Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity,
- medical and social center building,
- the building of a joint information and coordination center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with Russia.
Dzhussoev has no experience of working in government or history of political activity. From 1993 to 2011, Dzhussoev was the general director of the construction company Prilichny LLC and worked exclusively in North Ossetia.
In South Ossetia, he has appeared in 2011 as the general director of the Megapolis-T company, while opening a branch in Vladikavkaz.
In connection with this context, a conflict of interest arises, which, however, is not covered by local media.
- After taking office, Dzhussoev must leave the management of the company. But what about Megapolis-T itself?
- Under what conditions will the company continue to operate?
- Will it continue to receive contracts as a matter of priority?
- Will Dzhussoev step on the throat of his own business, and his firm will stop any commercial projects?
- In general, how will Megapolis-T and its subsidiaries interact with the government of South Ossetia?
- How much will the income of the developer who will receive such potential support from the authorities grow?
Another factor that draws attention to the person of the future prime minister is his relationship with the more famous businessman and philanthropist Albert Dzhussoev.
This refers to the owner of the Stroyprogress group of companies. After a conflict with the former president of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, in 2009-2011, the construction magnate fell out of favor and was forced out of the republic, and his property was arrested.
In this regard, some observers suggest that Konstantin Dzhussoev may be becoming a “understudy” of Albert Dzhussoev, and he allegedly thus unofficially returned to the construction sector of the republic.
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Head of Ministry of Internal Affairs – “experienced and professional”
South Ossetian ociety welcomed the appointment of “experienced”, “professional” head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – the former head of the security department, 51-year-old Valery Gazzaev.
He devoted his whole life to law enforcement service, starting his career in 1997.
Dzhussoev and Gazzaev have no family ties with the new president.
Minister of Justice, persecuted by former president Bibilov
Oleg Gagloev, a relative of the President, has been appointed Minister of Justice. He was the chief of staff of the government of South Ossetia, but was fired in December 2020 by then-president Anatoly Bibilov.
In October 2021, a criminal case was launched against Gagloev and Landa Abaeva (she was the head of the accounting department in the government apparatus). The prosecution claimed “misappropriation of budgetary funds.” Gagloev was presented with an amount of five million rubles [about $87,000].
Oleg Gagloev had left for Russia by that time, so he was put on the wanted list. From there, he defended his position in his Telegram channel. He also spoke with sharp assessments of the then President Anatoly Bibilov.
Two months later, the Tskhinvali City Court ruled that the initiation of a criminal case was illegal.
Head of presidential administration – son-in-law of the most influential representative of Gagloev’s clan
Alan Dzhioev has been appointed as head of the presidential administration. He is a lawyer with experience in the government of Leonid Tibilov from 2014 to 2015. In 2016, Tibilov appointed him a judge of the constitutional court, which has not yet been formed in South Ossetia.
It is said that he is the son-in-law of the well-known businessman Arsen Gagloev, who is considered the most influential representative of the Gagloev clan and the “godfather” in politics for the new president Alan Gagloev.
Many believe that this is the beginning of a prosperous period for Arsen Gagloev. He led the administration of President Eduard Kokoity. After the internal political crisis and the change of power in South Ossetia in 2011, Arsen Gagloev left for Moscow. He worked at Gazprom, then briefly served as Deputy Minister for the North Caucasus.
Layoffs because positions are promised?
The KGB of South Ossetia is the structure where Gagloev himself worked until 2016 in the department of economic security, he retired from there with the rank of major.
After becoming president, Gagloev almost immediately dismissed the first deputy chairman of the KGB, Major General Vladimir Khubaev, and deputy chairman Vasily Guliyev.
No reasons have been given.
Some say that a former intelligence officer avenged something with his former colleagues. Others say that these positions were promised to one of Gagloev’s supporters.
The second version seems to be more likely. Since Alexander Tuaev, a friend of Alan Gagloev and, presumably, a former employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service, was immediately appointed to the post of first deputy chairman of the KGB.
Heads of district administrations have not been appointed
Having come to the presidency, Alan Gagloev dismissed the heads of all four district administrations. No new heads of the district administrations have been appointed.
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